Rachel Blake MP: written questions
89 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Artificial Intelligence: Holiday AccommodationDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 3 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64941More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of using artificial intelligence in the regulatory process for short-term lets.
Answer: The Government is committed to being at the forefront of artificial intelligence innovation across public services and regulatory processes. Decisions about which technologies, including potential AI applications, will best support the Short Term Lets reg...
Answered 15 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordHoliday Accommodation: DatabasesDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 3 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64940More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many full-time equivalent staff will be needed to enforce the short-term lets database.
Answer: Detailed operational requirements, including staffing levels, are being determined as part of the development process.
Answered 15 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordHoliday Accommodation: RegistrationDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 3 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64939More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to her Department's consultation outcome entitled Consultation on a registration scheme for short-term lets in England, updated on 19 July 2024, when she will publish a full respon
Answer: DCMS has commenced the second phase of digital development, with public testing due to start in September. The full consultation response will be published alongside the necessary secondary legislation.
Answered 15 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordHoliday Accommodation: Business RatesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 3 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64938More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate her Department has made of the tax revenue from ensuring compliance with rules on eligibility of short-term lets for business rates.
Answer: Before a short-term let can be assessed as a self-catering accommodation (short-term let) for business rates purposes it must have been available to let for at least 140 days in the past year and demonstrate at least 70 days of actual letting activity in ...
Answered 11 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordInheritance Tax: British Nationals AbroadTreasuryTabled 30 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63924More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to a residence-based inheritance tax system on the numbers of UK residents with permanent homes outside of the UK.
Answer: A supplementary forecast information release around the costings of reforms to the non-domicile regime, including the move to residence-based inheritance tax system, was published by the Office for Budget Responsibility in January 2025. This costing outli...
Answered 8 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordLegal Aid SchemeMinistry of JusticeTabled 30 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63923More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to resolve ongoing issues with accessing the legal aid portal.
Answer: This is an unprecedented event involving sophisticated organised crime. Every effort is being made to restore systems following the criminal attack on our services. The Legal Aid Agency’s (LAA) digital services have been taken offline to negate the threat...
Answered 9 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordHeat Networks: City of WestminsterMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 30 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63922More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Pimlico District Heating Undertaking has been subject to departmental review.
Answer: The department has not conducted any such review.
Answered 8 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordHeat Networks: City of WestminsterDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 30 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63921More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions he has had with Westminster City Council on upgrades to the Pimlico District Heating Undertaking.
Answer: Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.
Answered 8 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordHeat Networks: FinanceDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 30 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63920More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what oversight his Department provides for investments in heat network infrastructure.
Answer: The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero provides capital funding for heat networks via the Green Heat Network Fund and the Heat Network Efficiency Scheme. The Department is represented on the Investment Committees for these schemes. Successful app...
Answered 8 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordPolice: PowersHome OfficeTabled 30 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63919More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans go give additional powers to policing forces to deal with allegations of (a) trespassing and (b) modern slavery and human trafficking, in the context of the commencement o
Answer: This Government is repealing the outdated Vagrancy Act and introducing new offences which deal with specific risks.Repealing the Vagrancy Act 1824 will leave a gap for the police to tackle organised begging and trespassing, which police have highlighted a...
Answered 8 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordIndia: Minority GroupsForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 23 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 62140More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in India on protecting minority rights.
Answer: The UK Government takes all allegations of human rights violations very seriously. The UK Government has a broad, deep and respectful partnership with the Government of India. This includes sharing perspectives on human rights and minority issues and find...
Answered 30 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordIndia: Human RightsForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 23 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 62138More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Indian counterpart on violations of human rights in India.
Answer: The UK Government takes all allegations of human rights violations very seriously. The UK Government has a broad, deep and respectful partnership with the Government of India. This includes sharing perspectives on human rights and minority issues and find...
Answered 30 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSub-letting: Tax AvoidanceTreasuryTabled 2 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 56669More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an assessment of the amount of revenue lost through tax avoidance in relation to illegal subletting of homes as short-term lets in each of the last five years.
Answer: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) estimates the size of the tax gap, which is the difference between the amount of tax that should, in theory, be paid to HMRC, and what is actually paid. The tax gap statistics and details of the estimate methodologies are pub...
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordImmigration ControlsHome OfficeTabled 12 May 2025AnsweredUIN 51687More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to review the countries eligible for (a) the Registered Traveller service and (b) automatic use of e-gates.
Answer: eGates continue to provide a safe, secure and efficient way for millions of British and Irish citizens, and nationals of the EU/EEA, Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and the USA and Registered Traveller service members to ente...
Answered 20 May 2025
Original Parliament recordHealth Professions: Conflict of InterestsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 6 May 2025AnsweredUIN 50361More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to minimise conflicts of interest within the medical profession.
Answer: The General Medical Council (GMC) is the regulator of all medical doctors, anaesthesia associates (AAs), and physician associates (PAs) practising in the United Kingdom. It sets and enforces the standards all doctors, AAs, and PAs must adhere to. The GMC ...
Answered 12 May 2025
Original Parliament recordHealth Services: Private SectorDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 6 May 2025AnsweredUIN 50360More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase transparency around the awarding of contracts to private healthcare companies.
Answer: Transparency and value for money are key priorities in elective care, including where care is delivered by independent sector providers. Contracts between commissioners and providers have to comply with the NHS Payment Scheme, a set of prices and rules us...
Answered 12 May 2025
Original Parliament recordEnergy: MetersDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 1 May 2025AnsweredUIN 49865More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to improve protections for private renters with pre-paid energy metres.
Answer: The Government is committed to ensure energy is affordable for all households, including those who are on prepayment meters. For some consumers, prepayment meters are a useful tool for managing budgets. In 2023, Ofgem introduced stringent rules for the in...
Answered 12 May 2025
Original Parliament recordBusiness: Disclosure of InformationDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 30 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 49642More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he is taking steps to encourage whistleblowing in the business community.
Answer: My Department is responsible for routinely updating the Prescribed Persons Order, a list of relevant bodies to which a worker can make a protected disclosure about a wrongdoing. Recent whistleblowing disclosures have been highly concentrated in health, pu...
Answered 12 May 2025
Original Parliament recordLocal Housing Allowance: Shared HousingDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 29 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 49226More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many adults living in temporary accommodation receive the Shared Accommodation Rate of Local Housing Allowance.
Answer: The shared accommodation rate does not apply in temporary accommodation.Temporary Accommodation is defined as housing that a claimant has been placed in by a local authority or housing association to meet the local authority’s statutory homelessness duty ...
Answered 8 May 2025
Original Parliament recordHeating: RegulationDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 28 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 48769More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of existing and planned heat network regulation for protecting consumer interests.
Answer: We are aware that some consumers on heat networks are not currently getting a fair deal, which is why DESNZ is introducing heat network regulation which aims to provide consumers with comparable protections to existing gas and electricity regulations. The...
Answered 7 May 2025
Original Parliament recordFirst-tier TribunalMinistry of JusticeTabled 28 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 48768More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the First-Tier Tribunal.
Answer: This Government inherited a broken justice system with record and rising court backlogs. The Lord Chancellor recently announced that for 2025-26, the Ministry of Justice will provide a total budget of £2,538 million.We have continued investment this year ...
Answered 7 May 2025
Original Parliament recordLeasehold: ReformMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 28 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 48767More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Written Statement of 21 November 2024 on Leasehold and Commonhold Reform, HCWS244, what her planned timeline is for (a) reforms of and (b) consultations on the le
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 21 November (HCWS244).
Answered 7 May 2025
Original Parliament recordLeasehold: Fees and ChargesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 28 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 48766More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an assessment of the merits of reforming linked estate charges.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 21 November (HCWS244).
Answered 7 May 2025
Original Parliament recordProperty Management Companies: QualificationsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 28 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 48765More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what her timetable is for consulting on mandatory qualifications for managing agents.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 41307 on 2 April 2025.
Answered 7 May 2025
Original Parliament recordProperty Management Companies: RegulationMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 28 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 48764More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her Department's policies of the independent report entitled Regulation of Property Agents: working group report, p
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 41307 on 2 April 2025.
Answered 7 May 2025
Original Parliament record
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